Everyone knows that implementation of commitments is at the core of the Open Government Partnership’s mission for transformational reforms. However, more than a third of OGP commitments reviewed to date by the Independent Reporting Mechanism have not been implemented. For natural resource commitments, this is an especially relevant issue.
A new report by the Openness in Natural Resource Working Group, Closing the Gap: Strengthening the Development and Implementation of Natural Resource Commitments in the Open Government Partnership, indicates that countries make more natural resource commitments compared to other sectors like health or education.
However, only about half of the reviewed natural resource commitments have been completed or substantially implemented. The report explores why this has been the case and offers concrete recommendations to government officials, civil society representatives and the OGP Support Unit on how to address this gap.